Ondo govt. distributes 20,000 hybrid cocoa seedlings to farmers

Ondo State government on Monday distributed 20,000 free hybrid cocoa seedlings to 100 farmers in Isua-Akoko South East Local Government Area of the state. The seedlings were distributed under the Cocoa Revolution Project initiative of the State government. Mrs Titilayo Adeyemi, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, who facilitated the programme explained that the seedlings would further boost the economy of the area and that of the state. Adeyemi noted that the LGA is known for cocoa cultivation, hence the state government deemed it fit to engage farmers in the area and ensure they benefit from the agric support. According to her, the move will further boost the income-generating potentials of the LGA. In his remarks, Mr Akin Olotu, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Akeredolu on Agriculture and Agribusiness, noted that each beneficiary would get 200 seedlings. Olotu , who was represented by Mr Toba Adenowuro, the state Secretary, Cocoa Revolution Project, said the seedlings were two-year-old seeds, high yielding and mature. He explained that the move was activated in Ondo State government’s bid to keep the state as the number one cocoa producing state in the country. Olotu noted that the distribution would span through the 16 cocoa producing local government areas of the state. Source: